Jennicet Gutierrez, the undocumented trans activist who last heckled President Obama last monnth at the LGBT Pride reception at The White House, has written an op-ed at the Advocate in which she explains her “unplanned action” (Which by the way a little birdie tells us was planned all the time since Gutiérrez was invited as somebody’s +1 with the help of GetEqual. Allegedly.)

Gutiérrez writes:

“It became a critical opportunity to interrupt the president during his speech on behalf of my undocumented trans sisters who are suffering daily in immigrant detention centers.

“Though unplanned, my action was about continuing to place trans immigrant women at the front lines of our movement. It was the result of an urgent need for my community to collectively lift our voices and bring visibility.

Gutiérrez then goes on to trash Advocate writer Dawn Ennis and her original story.

“[Advocate columnist Dawn Ennis’s] piece diverted attention from the real issues at hand — the dire conditions of trans women of color. And this is appalling. The writer missed a tremendous opportunity to inform her readers about the serious injustice that I was trying to bring to light: undocumented trans women facing horrific and inhumane conditions in detention centers.”

Gutiérrez also adds:

“The interruption at the White House was not about just me. It is about the continuous state-sanctioned violence and oppression my community faces every day. It is about the silence inflicted upon us by media and many mainstream LGBTQ organizations.”

“If my organizations had been too concerned with respectability and politeness, our voices would still be silenced, the average person would still be unaware of the seriousness of trans women in detention centers, and trans women of color would still be abused and suffering in detention centers with no one to speak up for them.”

Now let me start out by saying the issues she brings up are deplorable. As are many others in our community and they must be taken care of. And while I am an old-time activist and do believe in protests and actions they must be well planned, done properly, and be inclusive.

But try as she might Gutiérrez is wrong when she says it was now “all about her”. It was about her and her issue alone. One that is important, but affects very few individuals in the trans community. And she does not include undocumented L,G, and B detained immigrants who are also abused. Her “community” it seems only turns out to be “T”.

For Gutiérrez to say that its not “all about her” a trans undocumented woman of color. Well that’s just bullshit and someone has to call her out.

Will Kohler is one of America's well known LGBT historians, He is also a a accredited journalist and the owner of Back2Stonewall.com.
A longtime gay activist Will fought on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic with ACT-UP and continues fighting today for LGBT acceptance and full equality.
Will’s work has been referenced in notable media venues as BBC News, CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post, The Daily Wall Street Journal, Hollywood Reporter, and Raw Story,
Mr. Kohler is available for comment, interviews and lectures on LGBT History.
Contact: Will@Back2Stonewall.com